Jones Act Lawyer

Why the Jones Act is Important - Examples of Ship Worker Duties

The Jones Act was a sweeping piece of legislation that was passed by Congress to help protect those who are at risk - workers on ships and in sea-faring capacities. While it's rare to pass federal legislation designed to protect one relatively small group of workers, you'll see below why this was necessary.

Below are just a few examples of the types of duties that sea-faring workers face in different contexts, but regardless of how you were injured while working at sea, make sure you contact a Jones Act lawyer at Williams Kherkher today to schedule a free consultation and to evaluate your legal rights and options.

Commercial Fishing Boats

Basically speaking, commercial fishing is one of the most hazardous occupations in existence. There are internal and external factors constantly present. First, these boats are subject to the ever-changing conditions of the high seas, which means that storms and violent current changes can occur at any time.

Internally, commercial fishing employees are forced to work with extremely heavy machinery, share very small spaces with other workers while making constant and exhaustive movements to bring the fishing nets to the deck and stack the catch, and this does not even include the duties involved with navigating the ship, which in and of itself is physically brutal and exhausting work. It's also unfortunately common for commercial fishing boat workers to put in long hours, as when a boat is at sea, there is no place for escape and relaxation.

Cruise Ships

Many people may think that working on a cruise ship is quite 'cushy' by nature, but it's anything but that. Even though cruise ships are generally much larger than commercial fishing boats, they are still prone to violent changes of direction and equilibrium based on the powerful ocean currents and storms, putting the entire ship at risk.

Not to mention, porters must spend their days carrying heavy loads of luggage and equipment to all areas of a ship, and the kitchen workers must somehow produce gourmet-level meals by working with hot stoves, flames and sharp utensils, all while knowing that one false move by the ship's captain or sudden change in the ocean can send all of these objects flying in every direction.

As you see just by the two examples above, working at sea is quite dangerous. If you have been injured in such a context, contact a Jones Act lawyer at Williams Kherkher immediately to schedule a free initial consultation.